Tailgreat adds to gameday

Lauren McCormack For the CDT

The Penn State Tailgreat — held two hours before each home football game — has brought some famous guests to the Bryce Jordan Center: the likes of football greats Curt Warner and Jack Ham have visited, signed autographs and participated in the show.

AP file photo/Ivan Chavez

Jared Fogle will be at Tailgreat, which starts at 1:30 at the BJC.

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During today’s Tailgreat, a man whose name is synonymous with eating sandwiches to lose weight will grace the crowd with his presence.

“(Today) we’re going to have Jared the Subway guy,” said Penn State marketing and promotions director Tara Wyckoff. “He’s going to be one of our guest conductors and will be giving away prizes.”

A Penn State tradition, Tailgreat has been going on for at least the last 15 years, Wyckoff said. It gives fans an opportunity to participate in a pep rally in a more intimate setting.

Each week, the Lionettes, Blue Band and cheerleaders perform; in addition, the Nittany Lion makes an appearance.

“Because it’s a more intimate setting, you get to see things that are different than in the stadium,” Wyckoff said. “Various sections of the band will break out and perform an additional song. Because it’s a smaller venue, we have an announcer that’s able to give a back story why they chose that song. You get a feel for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Blue Band, which is why I think a lot of people come.”

Wyckoff and her team start planning the next season’s Tailgreat in the spring and continue to organize in the summer. They plan what activities they’d like to do during each Tailgreat and then wait for August to roll around, which is when “things start to fall into place.”

Last year the Tailgreat included a new activity, the guest drum major. A different person each week leads the Blue Band from the BJC to Beaver Stadium. Past drum majors have included Penn State President Graham Spanier and hall of famer Warner. This week’s guest drum major is Four Diamonds Fund child Clay Hammen.

“What we really try to do is, in addition to the show each home game, we try to present different contests, games, giveaways that change each week and give our fans something different to look forward to each time,” Wyckoff said.

Wyckoff encouraged parents to register their kids in the Nittany Lion Kids’ Club, an all-sports fan club for children in eighth grade and younger.

“They host a number of different VIP events for their members throughout the year, and we host one each week,” Wyckoff said. “Your Kids Club members can come down and go backstage to meet the Nittany Lion and the kids themselves get to run out with the Penn State cheerleaders on the court and perform and cheer.”

Applications for the Kids’ Club can be found at www.gopsusports.com/kidsclub and also will be available at the Tailgreat itself.

The doors to the BJC will open at noon today, with the Tailgreat starting at 1:30 p.m.